The Urban-Rural Divide Over Highway Expansion and Emissions
Rural states that prioritize repair over roadbuilding can outperform urbanized ones when it comes using federal infrastructure funds to cut emissions, a new report says.
In lightly populated Montana, highway expansion is not a big driver of future emissions.
Photographer: Lynn Donaldson/BloombergThree years after the passing of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a new report from the advocacy group Transportation for America has yielded a surprising finding about the landmark Biden administration legislation. Rural, conservative states seem to be pushing through projects that will yield less carbon emissions in the long term compared to their more progressive urban counterparts.
That’s not necessarily because these red states are investing in projects typically associated with greener transportation, like public transit, bike infrastructure and sidewalks. Instead, it’s about what these states aren’t doing — expanding highways.